I think I've got it now!!

[klunick]

Adding wet meals went so well over the weekend that I'm going to stick with it from now on. I can feed 3-4 meals (based on whether or not I'm working) per day. I have been experimenting with different flavors and brands pretty much since I got Boone and Gracie but more so now that they are older and I've been gone to more "all life stages" foods rather than strictly kitten food. Is 3-4 meal per day a good amount or do I need to invest in a timed feeder to add some meals into the day while I am away from home for those 12 hours?

When working, the wet feeding schedule will look like this.... 3am, 3pm, 8pm with 1/2 cup of dry out all day. When not working (days off and weekends), it looks like this... 8am, 1pm, 6pm, 10pm with 1/2 cup of dry out all day. Times will be more approximate on days off/weekends as I don't have a set schedule those days. The dry food is Dr Elsey's Clean Protein. Is that enough time in between feedings?

I also think I have my "go to" brands set. They really really loved Tiki Cat and Tiny Tiger. I think it's the thicker texture that they like with those two. I am also going with Instinct as they've eaten the kitten food as well as the "all life stages" food. I have yet to try Nulo Freestyle but I am adding this to my next auto ship and hoping it's a winner. It doesn't look like a pate which they normally eat but it does look kind of close to it. If I remember right, Tiki Cat, Tiny Tiger, Instinct, and Nulo are all brands that others on here say are good and don't contain a lot of bad stuff. Right?

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

So exactly how old are they? I'm thinking based on your "meet Boone and Gracie" thread that they are at least 6 1/2 months old, but perhaps even older than that? Anyway, I think they are old enough that three wet meals per day along with that 1/2 cup kibble is fine, as long as the amount of wet food in each meal is plenty. It might be confusing to them and their tummies if they get 3 meals on certain days and 4 meals on others.

 

[klunick]

So exactly how old are they? I'm thinking based on your "meet Boone and Gracie" thread that they are at least 6 1/2 months old, but perhaps even older than that? Anyway, I think they are old enough that three wet meals per day along with that 1/2 cup kibble is fine, as long as the amount of wet food in each meal is plenty. It might be confusing to them and their tummies if they get 3 meals on certain days and 4 meals on others.

They will be turning 8 months in a couple weeks. They split either a 3oz or 5oz can of wet food depending on the brand. I have tried giving each their own can in the past and they act like it's too much and only eat half anyway.

I don't think they even noticed yesterday that they were only fed 3 times and not 4 like on Saturday and Sunday. If anything, they are just happy they are getting food.

I would prefer to not go the timed feeder route as Gracie is a ridiculously slow eater and I have to sit and watch that Boone doesn't finish his and then try to move in on Gracie's.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

You may need to adjust the amount you feed them (individually) as they continue to grow, then actually decrease after they reach adulthood based on their final weight, activity level, etc. But at their age, I def think 3 meals plus that extra kibble is fine. Do they actually finish he kibble every day? As I recall from other posts, Boone eats a lot more than Gracie, correct? (or am I confusing your two with another set of babies? Very possible!)

 

[klunick]

You may need to adjust the amount you feed them (individually) as they continue to grow, then actually decrease after they reach adulthood based on their final weight, activity level, etc. But at their age, I def think 3 meals plus that extra kibble is fine. Do they actually finish he kibble every day? As I recall from other posts, Boone eats a lot more than Gracie, correct? (or am I confusing your two with another set of babies? Very possible!)

No, you are correct. The dry food is never totally gone. There is always some left. Some days more and some days less. I just assume Boone is the dry food hog as he is just so much larger than Gracie. I very rarely see them at the bowl and if I do, each only eats a couple bites and then leaves. They eat the same amount of wet food but Boone would probably eat more if he could.

I don't know how I could eat them different amounts without wasting food. Giving each half a can seems to work.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Well, that's what they make refrigerators for . And you can buy lids that fit the cat food cans (usually). If not, I put them inside a little baggie (and reuse those baggies over and over again, but I do let them dry out after each use.) Since most cats don't like cold food, what I do is set the food out for at least an hour before serving it, and then I add a little warm to hot water to it, since I do that anyway to all my guys' meals.

 

[klunick]

Well, that's what they make refrigerators for . And you can buy lids that fit the cat food cans (usually). If not, I put them inside a little baggie (and reuse those baggies over and over again, but I do let them dry out after each use.) Since most cats don't like cold food, what I do is set the food out for at least an hour before serving it, and then I add a little warm to hot water to it, since I do that anyway to all my guys' meals.

If I try to give Boone more than half, he won't eat it. I think him going over to Gracie's bowl is just to assert a little dominance even though they both know Gracie is the boss. Gracie won't givd up the bowl unless she wants to.

I will stick with what I am doing for now as it seems to be working.

 

[dustydiamond1]

Gypsy gets 1/2 of a 3oz can 7am-noon and 7pm. I use plastic lids on the cans and heat exactly 5 seconds in microwave after taking from the fridge. She has free feed dry since she doesn't overeat it. Your schedule seems to be working fine for your kittys. We feed and water in Corelle bowls, she won't use fountians.

 

[klunick]

Gypsy gets 1/2 of a 3oz can 7am-noon and 7pm. I use plastic lids on the cans and heat exactly 5 seconds in microwave after taking from the fridge. She has free feed dry since she doesn't overeat it. Your schedule seems to be working fine for your kittys. We feed and water in Corelle bowls, she won't use fountians.

Although I try to evenly split the wet food between Boone and Gracie, one bowl always seems to have a little bit more. I tend to give that to Boone. Half a can each seems to be the magic amount but it seems like twice a day wasn't enough especially the last time being around 6pm. That was when Boone would eat the most dry food. Late in the night/overnight. Now I feed them at 8pm and wait for them to finish to clean out the bowls before going to bed. Now in the morning, not as much dry food has been eaten so those extra two hours seem to have done the trick for the most part. I also don't refill the dry food bowl during the day so they are only getting 1/2 cup.

As far as water, I refill the bowl every morning and there is usually 1/2 left the following morning. I use ceramic stoneware bowls for dry food and water and stainless steel bowls for wet food.

 

[Talien]

3-4 per day should be fine, once they're done growing you could even cut it back to twice a day if it doesn't bother them.

Timed feeders can be great as long as one doesn't eat faster than the other then run over and steal the food from whoever eats slower.

 

[klunick]

3-4 per day should be fine, once they're done growing you could even cut it back to twice a day if it doesn't bother them.

Timed feeders can be great as long as one doesn't eat faster than the other then run over and steal the food from whoever eats slower.

That is what Boone does. He eats fast (or Gracie just eats really really slow). Boone will go over to Gracie's bowl and if she wants to give it up, she will. Otherwise, she keeps eating until Boone gives up and walks away. When do they stop growing? A year? Hopefully Boone grows a little more so my husband will stop calling him Marmot. But it's better than what he calls Gracie. He calls her Gracifer as in Gracie + Lucifer= Gracifer.

 

[Talien]

That is what Boone does. He eats fast (or Gracie just eats really really slow). Boone will go over to Gracie's bowl and if she wants to give it up, she will. Otherwise, she keeps eating until Boone gives up and walks away. When do they stop growing? A year? Hopefully Boone grows a little more so my husband will stop calling him Marmot. But it's better than what he calls Gracie. He calls her Gracifer as in Gracie + Lucifer= Gracifer.

Yes, around a year they should be fully grown.

 

[klunick]

Yes, around a year they should be fully grown.

Ok, that won't be until the end of March (guesstimate). I am planning on keeping up with the extra wet from here on out as I'm hoping to avoid any urinary and poop issues like my other male had. The extra moisture from the wet food plus I *think* the Dr Elsey's dry food says it also provides more moisture than other dry food. Also found a brand of wet food called Soulistic (?) at Petco that says it's good at providing moisture.